While the topic of this book might seem morbid, it really is a fascinating and instructive set of essays on human behavior. Well-researched and engaging, this revised and updated edition recounts stories of what most often amount to tragic tales of sheer human stupidity.

What really resonates most strongly is the authors' desire to communicate that the Grand Canyon is not some man-made, man-controlled theme park, but instead a heartbreakingly beautiful and very dangerous natural phenomenon, to be treated with reverence and caution.

The final chapter on murder reads like a historical thriller, unearthing mysteries that have been embedded in the canyon for over a hundred years. But the authors never rely on sensationalism. Instead, they share eyewitness accounts and solid research that reveal many secrets of the canyon, only to show that there are many more buried below. ( )